SEATAC, Wash. — A pipeline leak near Everett could impact Seattle-Tacoma International Airport by this weekend.
Governor Bob Ferguson has issued an emergency proclamation to ensure that enough jet fuel gets to the airport, limiting any disruption to travelers.
The move eases regulations on when trucks can transport the fuel.
The governor says if the pipeline isn’t delivering fuel as normal by Saturday, airport operations would be “significantly impacted.”
The leak in the Olympic pipeline was discovered on November 11.
Work is still ongoing to fix it.
In a statment, BP said:
“Olympic Pipeline is actively responding to a release of refined products east of Everett, Washington, working in close coordination with federal, state, tribal and local authorities. Response crews have begun 24-hour excavation operations and are proceeding with excavation of the pipelines to allow for visual inspection. A timeline for restarting the pipeline is not available at this time. Further updates will be provided when available. The safety of personnel, the environment, and the community remain our highest priority.”
A representative for the airport shared the following response:
“The Port of Seattle is aware of a continued disruption to the Olympic Pipeline that provides fuel around the region, including to SEA Airport.
Aircraft fueling is managed by the airlines, and there are no impacts to flights at this time. As the situation evolves, SEA operations is working closely with airline partners and Washington state departments on contingency plans.
In addition, we’d note to travellers, as usual, they should continue to check with their airlines for the status of their specific flight."
Governor Ferguson’s emergency proclamation includes easing regulations on when trucks can transport fuel on major highways to help mitigate the impact of the pipeline shutdown.
However, Patrick De Haan, a representative from GasBuddy pointed out the logistical challenges, stating:
“You are talking about almost 1,800 fuel trucks on a daily basis to meet the capacity of this pipeline. That’s impossible.”
Alaska Airlines sent KIRO7 this statement on their contingency plans:
“We are working to mitigate a potential impact from the Olympic Pipeline fuel leak. We are not currently experiencing any disruption to our operation at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
To ensure our scheduled service is maintained without significant disruption, we are preparing contingency plans, which include fuel management strategies such as tankering in fuel on inbound flights to Seattle, assessing tech stop options along certain routes to conserve fuel, and maintaining and expanding our trucking operation to bring in additional fuel supply.
We remain in close communication with Olympic Pipeline, refineries, and our airport partners and will communicate if we begin to see operational impacts."
Delta Airlines sent us this statement on their plans as well:
“Delta is closely monitoring the fuel supply at SEA and any potential impacts to our operations there. While we work with our fuel supply partners to actively mitigate any disruptions to supply, customers are encouraged to check the status of their flights before departing for the airport until the situation is resolved.”
I can also share that we maintain a varying level of reserve supply at any given time, and we also utilize tanker trucking often in situations like this, in partnership with our supplier."
A spokesperson with Southwest Airlines tells KIRO 7 there is nothing to report from their side – operation has been normal for us in Seattle.
©2025 Cox Media Group
